Orthopedic Movement Physical Therapy Review

Okay folks, this is a tricky one because the type of treatment that I received isn’t a treatment where you instantly get results.

For instance, if your shoulder is dislocated, you then pop it back into place, you see the immediate result. But something like this, and most forms of physical therapy generally take time. Bare that in mind as you read this.

I’ll likely know in about 4 days or so if this helped, but I can say this, today I have not had a headache or neck pain like I did yesterday. That’s definitely a good sign.

So let’s start from the top. Before you can get into the office, you are required to use their external temperature machine. This is before they even open the door for you. If your temperature is jacked, you ain’t getting in there. This is a good thing though, it shows that first and foremost, these folks are taking our health, and their safety very seriously. So that was my first encounter.

Even before I made it to the office, I was in regular communication with the team via text, email and phone calls. They are definitely very thorough and professional with potential and current patients.

My insurance sucks, so in order for me to work with these folks, I had to eat the cost out of pocket. This first session was $250, and yes, for someone who has insurance, that is rather steep. However, my friend’s recommendation, and my desperation to be free from pain drove me to give it a go. Of course, speaking with them and how well they engaged with me sealed the deal. If they were not so pleasant, I don’t know that I’d shell out so much cash.

So the work that Dr Miho Urisaka did on me was also very thorough. She asked me about all my complaints and she listened to it all. She didn’t make me feel rushed or that I was talking too much or anything along those lines. She listened closely and took notes.

After all that she began to work by pressing on my head, back, and stomach in a few places. This form of treatment is not a massage, nor it is like physical therapy. This whole world of medicine that these folks practice here appears to be more in line with the chiropractic style of medicine. It is not chiro, but the nature of that treatment is what I mean. It is a different type of practice. Finding the root of the problem, in this case something with the fascia around my heart, and then working to address that.

I was doing some research on Counterstrain work and how the different areas work. It’s interesting stuff and I’m definitely open to it. As should be evident by my $250 investment.

After the doctor worked on me for some time, her team member Masumi Kishimoto came into the room and showed me some movements and exercises using a foam roller. The movements were slightly difficult for me because its not intuitive for someone of my nature. Masumi was very helpful in guiding me through them though. The movements involved a lot of breathing and relaxing, something that a tense guy like me is not known for. I don’t often relax, I often smash! Doing the movements I was breaking into a nice sweat and there was a nice release from the movements. I’m going to try them on my own, Masumi gave me a sheet with the movements.

The office is very bright, fairly big and clean. I have no complaints about these folks and I truly hope this treatment helps me recover. I just wish they could do something with my insurance, as mentioned before, $250 is steep. But that begs the question, how much is living a pain free life worth to you? For me, it’s at least worth $250.

Let’s see how I feel in a few days, but if how I’m feeling now is any indicator, then we are looking good!